InterVarsity backs #BlackLivesMatters at Urbana 15

InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (InterVarsity) is an evangelical college ministry that is no stranger to social justice movements. Still, it was surprising for InterVarsity to devote an evening at its Urbana missions conference to #BlackLivesMatter. InterVarsity unabashedly called on 16,000 students to support the movement.

What InterVarsity did last night was more than a nod to current events or the need to oppose racism. It was a full-throated, unapologetic call to support #BlackLivesMatter.

In the U.S., there are just over 41,000 college students involved in InterVarsity chapters. Since the 1940s, InterVarsity’s Urbana missions conference has brought together thousands of its students for four days of seminars, worship services, and meetings.

While the name of the conference still references its long-time location at the University of Illinois, the conference is now located in St. Louis, Missouri.

The location is just miles from Ferguson, Missouri. Given the location, InterVarsity’s commitment to both social justice, and the diversity of its students (over a third of its students are ethnic or racial minorities), it was not surprising that there was some mention of racial inequality. But InterVarsity went far beyond acknowledging racism.

Read the full article and video at the Religion News Service site: HERE